Boot WINPE from USB Pendrive

[tadpole]

Is it possible to either have all the files or an IMAGE of WINPE on a USB Pendrive and boot from it ?

[gamehead200]

Please use the SEARCH button:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=18840

[syrynxx]

I attended Microsoft's OEM roadshow for SP2, and their tech presenter said that the SP2 version of WinPE can now boot off of a USB device (assuming BIOS and USB device both support booting as well). I just finished building my first XP SP2 RC2 version of PE, so I haven't gotten that far yet.

-syrynxx

[likuidkewl]

I attended Microsoft's OEM roadshow for SP2, and their tech presenter said that the SP2 version of WinPE can now boot off of a USB device (assuming BIOS and USB device both support booting as well).  I just finished building my first XP SP2 RC2 version of PE, so I haven't gotten that far yet.

-syrynxx

Did you obtain the SP2 version of PE? If so let us know some of the neww features and how well they work.

[Radimus]

I just put WinPE 1.1 on a usb HD and it works great (sort of)

The machine's BIOS must allow USB Boot Devices (most new ones do)

the machine's chipset needs to be auto detected by WinPE or the USB devices BSODs on startup. That can be fixed I assume by updating the drivers in PE, but I haven't gotten that far.

I can't see how a thumb drive would behave any differently

[Radimus]

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=14316&st=0

[syrynxx]

Did you obtain the SP2 version of PE? If so let us know some of the new features and how well they work.

This is the SP2 RC2 version of the OPK and PE dated May 13th.

Been in training so I still haven't gotten any farther than building a hard-drive version of PE, but one of the bit things I was looking for is WMI support. Here's from the MKIMG.CMD file:

/WMI : Include Windows Management Infrastructure (WMI)

support for WinPE.

/NOWF : Disable Windows Firewall (which is usually loaded by

default in WinPE). Use this only if you run server

apps in WinPE, as client networking is unrestricted.

Note that disabling the firewall does not reduce

the WinPE image size.

So WMI support is optional in the base, as opposed to being part of BuildOptionalComponents.vbs as I would have predicted. And I like the Windows Firewall - now I won't get paranoid about my hard-drive-based PE getting infected.

[Radimus]

funny thing about my usb HD version of PE... every 2 or 3 boots I'll get corrupted usbstor.dll files. I have had to chkdsk it and occasionally replace the files. (pe 1.1)

I am now working with 1.2 to see if it is any more reliable.

BTW, I am running PE 1.2 with progman as shell... all the extra crap from barts and effort to get explorer in is overkill for a basic diagnostic platform and imaging tool. freecell is necessary to provide something to do while drives are defragging

http://tjb.xgameservers.com/WindowsPE.html

(with some slight modifications...)

[mcardlej]

Here's a util that will make the USB Key bootable.

I've had a try but can't get much furhter than just a boring old dos prompt.

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/hp...load/20234.html

Its a util from HP called

"USB Drive Format Tool" or something like that.

and can be downloaded under the D530 software&drivers.

If anyone has more luck, please let us know.

Cheers.

[Radimus]

I used that tool, and have pretty much determined that it is useless... unless loading it with USB drivers or netdrivers is what you plan on using it for.

I've booted from a win98 bootable USB drive and once I start ghost or drive image or partition magic it fails to run and looses the usb drive.

... unless it can tell the difference between a flash drive and a HD

[Radimus]

this seems to make it work...

a switch "/inram" you can add to the key "OsLoadOptions" in "txtsetup.sif" file that will load WinPE in RAM instead of running from CD, and this has the benefit of increased performance and response time besides the ability to eject the CD during your session, but this option requires at least 256 MB, which means you should also have the option to run WinPE from CD for machines with less than 256 MB.

http://www.911cd.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3817

[StanWare]

I've finally had success booting from a USB flash drive. I've been a lurker here for sometime and decided to tell you all what I did to get it to work. This is rather convoluted but I'm working with limited resources.

You will need.

1. Bart's PE creator

2. Ghost

3. USB Flash drive 256mb or better.

4. A hard drive you can wipe out.

5. A BIOS that supports USB Flash Drives. (reset the boot order to include the USB)

How to:

1. Create a Bart's PE CD-ROM.

2. Boot a computer with it.

3. Install WinPE to the local hard drive. Let it reformat it.

4. After it install's create a ghost image of the C drive. (save it to the network or second HD or Partition)

5.Simply ghost the image down to the USB Flash Drive.

Let me know if this works for anyone but me.

Good Luck,

StanWare